The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for manufacturing pockets, and more particularly relates to an apparatus and method for continuously prefabricating pockets for subsequent attachment to a garment.
In the manufacture of garments, pockets are provided chiefly as a convenient means for carrying useful articles. Such useful items may include, for example, a wallet, a handkerchief, currency, change, keys, and the like. The pockets are integrated into the garment and take the general form of a pouch open at one end to permit easy access to the contents.
The two basic types of pockets utilized in the garment industry are the patch pocket and the standard pocket. The patch pocket is formed simply by connecting a peripheral portion of a layer or patch of material directly to the outside surface of a garment. The standard pocket, however, is of relatively more complex construction. In particular, construction of a standard pocket requires numerous manual operations including material cutting, folding, positioning, sewing, and trimming. These manual operations are both time consuming and costly in terms of labor and material expenditure.
In an attempt to solve some of these problems and thus reduce the overall cost of a garment, some efforts have been directed to the reduction of manufacturing steps through elimination or combination. For example, in co-pending application Ser. No. 905,054, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,156,293, assigned to the assignee hereof, there is shown an invention pertaining to the manual construction of individual pockets with the aid of adhesives. In another co-pending application assigned to the assignee hereof, application Ser. No. 845,450, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,933, there is shown an invention for the precise deposition of adhesive strips. However, heretofore there has not been available an apparatus which operates on a continuous basis to preform pockets ready for subsequent attachment to a garment.
The present invention comprises an apparatus and method for manufacturing pockets which overcomes the foregoing and other problems long since associated with the prior art. According to the broader aspects of the invention, pocket material of a predetermined width is directed lengthwise along a predetermined path. In one embodiment, ribbons from which are formed strips of adhesive are directed along other predetermined paths adjacent to the pocket material. Alternatively, adhesive can be extruded directly onto the pocket material. Following deposition of the adhesive at the desired locations, the pocket material is sheared to provide a length of material defining a pocket blank. Each pocket blank is then folded, adhesively secured in part, and collected for subsequent implantation into a garment. Use of the invention minimizes material waste, manual intervention and thus cost by achieving continuous prefabrication of pockets for garments.
In accordance with more specific aspects of the invention, a web of pocket material having a predetermined width is drawn from a supply roll and fed into the apparatus. The pocket material is engaged between feed and nip rollers for advancement first to an adhesive application station. In the preferred embodiment, strips of fusible adhesive formed from ribbons comprising a layer of adhesive on a backing are advanced into position adjacent the longitudinal edges of the pocket material. Cooperating movable heads, which are preferably heated, are then actuated to effect attachment of two adhesive strips along the edges of the pocket material. Preferably, a third strip of adhesive is similarly attached to the pocket material but in a transverse orientation.
In another embodiment, adhesive is applied in strips along each longitudinal edge, and preferably in a transverse strip also, by means of extrusion heads.
Following precise attachment of the adhesive, a predetermined length of the pocket material is then advanced past a cutter and into an aligning and folding station. Actuation of the cutter shears the pocket material to provide a pocket blank with adhesive attached thereto in predetermined locations. After proper alignment and positioning in one portion of the station, the pocket blank is then transferred to another portion of the station for folding. In the preferred construction, the pocket blank is first folded along the longitudinal edges during the transfer operation. The partly folded pocket blank is then pushed by a movable blade through a cooperating aperture. Actuation of the blade folds the pocket blank transversely with the adhesive edge strips inside and simultaneously advances the folded pocket blank to the activation station. If a less finished pocket is desired, the longitudinal edges of the pocket blank need not be folded prior to the transverse folding operation.
The activation station includes a rotatable wheel including a plurality of pocket receivers for receiving folded pocket blanks in succession from the movable blade. Presser bars, which are preferably heated, within each pocket receiver engage portions of the edges in the folded pocket blanks to secure at least the bottom section of the pockets. Upon each incremental rotation of the wheel, a vacant pocket receiver is indexed for chambering of another folded pocket blank as a prefabricated pocket is substantially simultaneously removed from another receiver for subsequent attachment to a garment.